Magic Mountain evacuated as fast-moving brush fire burns nearby

A fast-moving brush fire broke out Sunday afternoon near Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, spurring evacuation of the amusement park and an adjacent water park as clouds of smoke and ash covered a large swath of the area, officials said.

The fire erupted at noon and was burning near Interstate 5 along Old Road and Skyview Lane near Magic Mountain Parkway, officials said. By about 9:30 p.m., the fire was 50% contained and holding at 40 acres.

Video on social media showed Magic Mountain visitors moving away from the smoke drifting into the park.

“Magic Mountain is evacuating, but they are doing it on their own,” said Melanie Flores, a supervising dispatcher for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “We did not tell them to do this.”

Nine people were transported to local hospitals for smoke exposure, according to the county Fire Department. No structures were threatened.

About 100 county firefighters and 12 fire engines were on scene battling the Sky fire, and officials said they believed they had stopped the fire’s forward progress. By late afternoon, they were busy putting out any lingering hotpots and reinforcing containment lines.

“Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor [water park] are currently being evacuated due to the brush fire,” Six Flags officials said in a statement early Sunday afternoon. “The safety and well-being of our guests and team members is our top priority.”

The park is expected to reopen at 10:30 a.m. Monday.

Kathy Hoxsie, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard, said the first heat wave of the summer season arrived in Southern California on Sunday.

“Temperatures at Magic Mountain were between 93 and 96,” she said. “Overall, we’re looking at 10% humidity, gusts up to 35 mph in some places, and temperatures up 10 degrees from yesterday — so, we’re definitely hitting critical fire conditions.

“Monday will also be on the warm and dry side — maybe a degree or two warmer in the San Fernando Valley,” she said. “And by Tuesday, we’re going to be looking at temperatures in the low 100s in the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita Valley.”

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, more than four dozen firefighters knocked down a 1-acre brush fire, which started about 12:20 p.m., in the Hollywood Hills in about an hour.

Firefighters battled the blaze burning on steep hillsides and kept it from damaging any homes.

Actor Michael Trucco, who lives nearby, thanked the Los Angeles Fire Department on social media for quickly snuffing out the blaze.

“My neighbors and I can sit here and tell you this story from the comforts of our homes that these brave men and women never allowed to be in danger in the first place,” Trucco wrote.

The Sloan fire started Sunday afternoon in Castaic, but Los Angeles County firefighters were able to surround it with hose line and stop it at 2 acres. Soon after, a yard fire started in Littlerock in the Antelope Valley but was quickly stopped by county firefighters.